Doctors Of Hearing Blog

Fluid in the middle ear is a condition that is called "otitis media with effusion." It often occurs during recovery from an ear infection or when an infection is coming on. If the condition is left untreated, it could result in chronic ear infections, which can have the potential for serious consequences like hearing loss, which could then require the use of hearing aids.

Otitis Media is a condition that is diagnosed in 28 percent of children. That's how many have actually been diagnosed by an audiologist as having had one or more episodes. This condition is generally higher in children ages seven months to three years, as well as in white children as opposed to African American ones. In addition, children who live in rural areas have incidents of the condition slightly more often those who live in urban areas. And, although kids from the ages of 19 months to two years had the highest rate of total expenditures for the condition per year at $239.68, Medicaid actually covered more financially for audiologist visits than for any medical procedures or medications in all of the age groups of children.

In any case, no matter what the age of the child affected by Otitis Media, finding the best audiologist for treatment is crucial. And, in the event that hearing aids are necessary, a parent can find good hearing aid deals by asking their audiologist for a recommendation or doing some online research into what is currently available in the area of hearing aid sales. If you have any questions on how to deal with hearing loss, contact DoctorsofHearing, in Los Angeles, Pasadena at DoctorsOfHearing.com for more information!

Hearing Loss can occur at any age, and for a number of reasons. Depending on the type, treatment may vary. Basically, hearing loss could be conductive, sensorineural or mixed, that is both conductive and sensorineural. While there is problem in conducting sound waves along the outer ear, eardrum and middle ear in the conductive type of hearing loss,

sensorineural type describes the situation in which the root cause is in the outer ear, cranial nerve or central auditory processing parts of the brain.

Symptoms

Most people believe that hearing loss affects only older people. According to research, 20% of adults in America report of hearing problems. While the problem is a common one, a lot of people do not know what the symptoms are until it becomes too late. Below are symptoms that may develop when one starts to have hearing problems:

• Difficulty in Understanding what people are saying. 
• Muffled voices.
• Difficulty in picking out people’s voices among other noise.
• Listening to TV programs and Radio at higher volumes than usual.
• Depression
• Ear pain, itching and irritation.
• Fluid coming out of the ear due to infection.

Causes of Hearing Loss

Gradual exposure to Loud Music and Aging

Gradual exposure to loud music and aging could lead to damage of the nerve cells that send sound signal to the brain. When there is no nerve cell to send sound messages to the brain, there is shortage in the hearing abilities which could cause higher pitch sounds to appear like muffles.

Earwax buildup

The buildup of earwax can block the ear canal and prevent the conduction of sound waves.

Ear Infection and Unhealthy Ear Growth
In the outer or middle ear, the presence of an infection, or worse the growth of a tumor would greatly affect hearing.

Damaged Ear Drums
When the eardrum is ruptured, or there is a tympanic membrane perforation which is caused by loud blast of noise that suddenly changes in pressure. This can easily cause, at best, an infection or, at worst, a perforated ear drum which in turn affects the level of hearing loss.

Hearing Solutions
The first step into getting hearing solution is making a timely visit to your audiologists. This is an important aspect of curing loss of hearing because audiologists would easily tell you specifically, through a full test, what is causing it. From there, it is easier to administer a hearing solution. Also, the audiologists may recommend hearing aids which are of different types, design, functions and costs. Although, hearing aids would not correct hearing loss totally, they are still very effective in many situations.